Spirit soaring in local schools

Parochial academies minister to needs of diverse pupil population

ROBERT B. HENDERSON, Chronicle correspondent

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, October 18, 2001

While most of the school-age youth of Fort Bend County attend public schools, parochial schools continue to fill a void for parents who want their children to receive religious instruction along with their basic education.

Many of the county's parochial schools also have services available for parents who educate their children at home and administrators said the rise in home schooling is not shrinking parochial school rosters.

Catholic

Nancy Taylor, principal of St. Laurence Catholic School in Sugar Land, said the school enrolls youngsters from age 3 through the eighth grade. With a current enrollment of 672 pupils, St. Laurence is the largest Catholic school in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston.

As a result of its size, the school is adding 21,000 square feet to provide for classrooms, administrative space and more computer and science labs.

"We will have some special resource teacher areas to provide the services our student body needs," Taylor said.

The new facilities are expected to be completed in time for the school's 10th anniversary celebration. The school was founded in 1992.

Taylor said the school has grown more rapidly than anticipated. Original planning called for two classes per grade level, but the goal now is to have three classes per grade level. The new facility will give St. Laurence School an enrollment capacity of 775.

Some parochial educators said the cost of providing Catholic education was adversely affected when the number of people choosing to dedicate themselves to the religious life declined. Previously, Catholic education was more affordable, when there was an ample supply of nuns to teach in the schools.

"I think what is very special here is the commitment of our teachers and parents working together to spiritually and academically educate the children entrusted to us," Taylor said. "We talk about our trinity of child, parent and educator, and that is our mission.

"I would say St. Laurence functions as a school of excellence in all of the traditional hallmarks associated with the Catholic tradition. I think we also strive to imbue in our students a sense of service and responsibility to the world they inherit."

Holy Rosary Catholic Church of Rosenberg also has a school, which enrolls pupils from pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade. Holy Rosary principal Nancy Moore said the school has 240 students, with a staff of 29, including 16 teachers.

The church is conducting a capital campaign, which also will help provide space for Holy Rosary School. Moore said a specific plan for the school expansion has not been developed.

"We are able to give some special attention just due to our number of faculty and the number of students," Moore said. "Of course, teaching our Catholic faith is fundamental to what we do, and can be touched upon in every single part of the curriculum. That is what our parents are asking for."

While Moore said she had not observed a decline in enrollment because of the home schooling movement, the school has received inquiries from Catholic home schoolers regarding participation in special programs, such as art.

Christian Academy

Simonton Christian Academy in Simonton has 35 pupils enrolled in its pre- kindergarten through sixth-grade program. Administrator Patty Fuquay said the school has reduced its class offerings from last year, when it hosted a seventh- and eighth-grade program.

"We realized our strong points are in elementary (education)," Fuquay said. "We had a new school opening up in the area for junior high. We took the opportunity to drop seventh and eighth grades.

The academy has five full-time teachers and one part-time teacher. The biggest class has nine pupils. Educators teach Latin, and are doing some classical education this year. Simonton pupils all score at least one year ahead of their grade level, according to a Stanford 9 test administered in the spring, Fuquay said.

The school received a new building last year and acquired another adjacent building at cost. The additional space has given the academy room for a computer lab and a large space for 3 and 4 year olds, as well as a small library and a full-size gym.

Fuquay said they have had interaction with home schoolers, and that a former home-schooling mother is on the school's faculty this year.

Living Water

The parochial school program at Living Water Christian School in Rosenberg is for pupils age 3 through the 12th grade. Enrollment totals 170 pupils. The faculty of 18 teachers includes teachers' aides. Betty Jo Frank, the school's co-administrator, said enrollment dropped because of construction on U.S. 59.

Although the school has computer and science labs, Frank said a need exists to expand facilities. However, there are no plans to expand. One of the most critical needs, Frank said, is for physical education space.

"We are very competitive, not only in sports, but also in competition as far as the arts, the music, math, speech. We have done very well," Frank said. "Our 4-year-olds read by December. We have really good teachers who have been with us for many years."

Living Water Christian School has considerable interaction with those pupils receiving their education at home, she said. They are included in the sports programs, and have the opportunity to enroll for one or more classes. Frank said they have one home schooling pupil taking four courses at Living Water. The computer and science labs are available to those who are being schooled at home.

Calvary Episcopal

Calvary Episcopal School, which is associated with Calvary Episcopal Church in Richmond, offers instruction for pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade pupils. Malcolm Smith, director of the school, said enrollment totals 235 pupils. The school began using new classrooms, a gymnasium and a library after completing a construction project in November. The addition gives the school an enrollment capacity of about 320 pupils. The school has 22 teachers.

"When you have a small school within a Christian setting, that, in and of itself, makes it different from most of our large public schools," Smith said. "We start everyday with chapel. We're able to gather all of our students together in the church for one assembly, have a little service everyday and start the day off with a Bible lesson and good word. It gets everybody's mind in a positive frame. I think that's an important part of the day."

Starting the day with Christian fellowship, he said, also impacts what happens in the classrooms.

"It allows teachers and students to interact in a very positive way," Smith said.

Calvary Episcopal School also has enrolled several home schooled pupils whose parents have opted for greater interaction with other children, while preserving opportunities for more individualized instruction in the smaller classes.. Most of classes have 13 or 14 pupils per teacher, said Smith.

Baptist Academy

Fort Bend Baptist Academy of Sugar Land offers a program from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Its current enrollment of 930 students, calls for a faculty of 75 teachers.

The elementary school of Fort Bend Baptist Academy is held at First Baptist Church of Sugar Land, and Superintendent Lesley Wyse said the school is at capacity enrollment and has been for a number of years. In September, the school held a groundbreaking for a new 83,000-square-feet elementary school on the same site as the high school. The capacity of the new elementary school will be 555 pupils, and it will be completed for the next school year.

The Fort Bend Baptist Academy middle school is located at Sugar Creek Baptist Church. The long-range plan is for the middle school to sit on the same site as the other two schools. While the new elementary is being built, outside athletic facilities also are being constructed, including a softball field, a baseball field as well as a football and soccer practice field. Other than the facilities, Wyse said a number of factors make Fort Bend Baptist Academy special.

"It is a Christian school. Our curriculum and policies and everything are integrated with scripture. That's really why we exist," Wyse said, while also complimenting the staff. "Teachers in a Christian school have made a financial sacrifice. Even time sacrifices, because there is a lot demanded of them. For that reason you get people who are just really committed to teach, who love that classroom environment and the interaction that happens in there."

Wyse said the Fort Bend Baptist student body is diverse, and that the faculty represents about 80 different churches of various denominations, all of whom contribute to the success of the school.

"Our academics are very high. Our kids work really hard and do really well," Wyse said. "We're really proud of the fact that out of last year's class, 100 percent went on to college. That's pretty good, too."

Wyse said they have few requests from home schoolers. She thinks that happens because of strong and capable organizations for home schoolers in the area. She said, in their experience, home schooled pupils come to them for high school.

Sugar Grove

Sugar Grove Christian School in Meadows Place has classes in the Sugar Grove Church of Christ. The school was established in 1969, before the church moved from the Sharpstown area. In the early years, it was named Sharpstown Christian School.

Principal Mary Jean Ewing said while pupils come from a variety of Christian denominations, the faculty is largely from the Church of Christ.

Serving pupils through sixth grade, the school is at its capacity of 230 pupils. There is a waiting list. The school must acquire additional space to expand enrollment, and Ewing said there are no plans to expand.

"What is special is the atmosphere we have here," Ewing said. "Our parents have come back and told us we have a real heart here. The children are so very important to us.

"Our staff has a long tenure here, also," said Ewing. The school has 28 teachers.

"I'm teaching children of the children I taught earlier. We just have a real caring heart for the children. Because we're not big, we can reach out to families and children and embrace them and try to meet the needs they have, not just academically, but spiritually, too."

With daily chapel and Bible study, Ewing said God is the central focus of the school's curriculum.

Southminster

Among the more recent parochial schools to open in Fort Bend County is the school of Southminster Presbyterian Church in Missouri City. The head of school, Kristen L. Correll, said although they are in their 12th year of having a pre-school, they are beginning their third year of offering an elementary school.

Southminster School, which goes through the second grade, is on a program of adding a grade each year through the fifth grade. Correll said enrollment is about 220 pupils, with 33 teachers.

Southminster School is housed on the church grounds, but in a separate building.

Correll said they have some after-school activities such as dance, Tae Kwan Do, gymnastics and art. The activities are open to students from the community, including those who may be home schooled.